The Words Inside My Head
by Akina Hasegawa
Summary: A cute little love story about Numbah 3 and 4. Numbah 4 wants to tell Numbah 3 how he feels, but how can he express the feelings in his heart and the words in this head before King Sandy ruins the day and possibly the world? Tis COMPLETE NOW MINNA!
1. Chapter 1

I was watching Kids Next Door today, and I decided I wanted to write a ficcie for it. No big deal really…I just love the relation between Kuki and Wally (Numbah's three and four, if you don't know their names). If you like it then great—if you don't like it, well that's tough, life happens. Enjoy!

If Only You Could See

By Akina Hasegawa

It was a sweltering hot afternoon, nothing less of what you'd expect from the middle of summer. The parents of many a kid had said the phrase, "hot enough to boil an egg on the pavement," more than once that day, but they all knew it was just a lie—they had tried boiling an egg on the asphalt many times only to fail. Even so, it was still an extremely hot day, and almost every kid was at the swimming pool—all except for five kids, who were watching as kids flocked to the pool my the dozen on a tall hill over-looking the city.

The five were part of an organization—perhaps you've even heard of it. They were Numbers one through five of the Kids Next Door organization, and were ready to face their next challenge as operatives.

"Numbuh 5, do you see anything suspicious?" asked the balding leader, Nigel Uno. The one he had addressed as Numbuh 5 put the binoculars she had held to her eyes.

"Nothin' yet, Numbuh 1," she said. She was the only member of the team with dark skin, and the second girl, but she didn't really care about discrimination—there was another girl, and who cared what her skin tone was? She certainly didn't and neither did her team. _And isn't racial discrimination a little old-fashioned anyway? _she thought to herself. Her thoughts quickly dispersed as the girl beside her giggled almost uncontrollably.

"This is gonna be soooo much fun!" a girl with long black hair squealed. "Can we swim after we're done with this mission?" A round-ish kid next to her nodded his head vigorously.

"Yeah!" he said. "I mean, it's so freaking hot out…We could at least take a dip after we're done here. What do you say Numbuh 1? Huh? Can we?" Nigel, or Numbuh 1 as his fellow operative called him, frowned before he answered.

"We'll see," he said sternly, "but we really need to concentrate on the mission right now." He turned his gaze back to the pool, where numerous kids still ran, standing next to Numbuh 5, while his three less serious partners talked among themselves.

"Man, this totally blows!" said a short blond kid, in his thick, Australian accent. "We should be down there with the rest of those kids, cooling off and just having a rockin' summer, but instead we're stuck on a stupid mission. Ugh, I'll be glad when this is over so we can get in the water."

"But Numbuh 4, you can't swim yet!" said the enthusiastic girl with black hair. "So how can you enjoy the pool?"

"Sh-shut up!" stuttered Numbuh 4. "I'm a fast learner…I'll learn in no time! Like you could teach me or something!"

"Ooh, I was just thinking the same thing!" the girl replied cheerily. "Maybe I could hold you up above the water and--"

"Gah! You stupid girl! I'm not a kid!" Numbuh 4 stuttered, a blush starting to creep onto his face.

"Then why are you in the Kids Next Door?" the girl asked innocently. She then narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "Or are you a **spy**?" she asked.

"Of _course_ I'm not a spy!" Numbuh 4 yelled. "What the heck gives you that crazy idea? Ugh, you're so dense sometimes, you know that?" The girl still glared at the hot-tempered blond, but this time in anger instead of suspicion.

"Well, I was just doing my job as a Kid's Next Door to look out for spies," she said coolly. "And you don't have to get so mad at me just because I want to help you learn how to swim."

"Come on, Numbuh 3," said the round kid from behind her, "let's go over there. _Wallaby _obviously doesn't want our company." Numbuh 3 looked at Numbuh 4—or Wallaby, as the pudgy kid had just called him—for a minute more, then turned on her heel and skipped after him, leaving Numbuh 4 standing with his arms crossed over his chest and a frown on his face. He looked over the city, his eyes resting on the pool, and started muttering to himself.

"I really do have crappy taste in girls," he said to himself, "and what did she mean she'd help me learn how to swim? Crazy girl…" He slowly walked over to join his comrades, standing on the opposite side of Number One, as far from Number Three as he could be.

"So what's the plan, boss?" asked the pudgy kid, putting a hand over his brow to look over the hillside at the pool—it looked so refreshing from up there under the hot sun. Numbuh 1 put down his crudely made binoculars before turning to face the other kid.

"We're going to sneak in there, looking like regular kids enjoying the pool. Then, when the lifeguards are busy, we sneak into their headquarters and locate King Sandy. Once we fin him, we can shut down his little shenanigan. Does everyone remember their stations?" Everyone nodded in response. "All right, then," he continued, "let's go kick some Sandy behind!" And with that they ran down the hill, stripping off their clothing to reveal swimsuits, and throwing their clothes in bushes as they sped off. They jumped the fence easily, then, without trying to look too conspicuous, jumped in the pool, except for Numbuh 4, who couldn't swim.

Numbuh 1 swam over to the edge, jumping out quickly, and walked as casually as he could manage over to the snack bar, where he could monitor who came in and out of the lifeguard's "headquarters." Numbuh's 3 and 2 walked over to the water slide, and Numbuh's 4 and 5 snuck over to the deeper of the three pools at the aquatic center. While Numbuh 5 jumped into the water, Numbuh 4 sat at a bench near the water, looking nervously at the water, knowing he'd have to face it sometime during their mission. He decided it was pointless to worry about something like a little pool water, so he looked around for something—anything—to distract him. His eyes searched frantically for a moment, but there was nothing but water everywhere. He was suddenly regretting ever coming to the pool in the first place. Just when he was about to get up and go find Numbuh 1 and ask him if he could switch positions with him, when a paper plate topped with half-eaten nachos appeared in front of his nose. He cried out in surprise, and scrambled away from the cheesy chips frantically, until he saw who was holding them.

"Open wide, Wally!" said Numbah 4 with a giggle. "I know nachos are your favorite!" She tried to hand the nachos to Numbah 4, but he only pushed them away, his heart still slowing it's frantic beat.

"Numbah 3, you're supposed to be at your post!" he said irritably, sitting up straighter so her could look her in the eyes. "Why are over here of all places? Can't you stay put for once?" He started to stand up, but, with a wary look at the water, sat back down on the adjustable lawn chair. Numbah 3 only smiled and sat down next to him.

"I know how you get around water," she said, "and thought you might be a little lonely, since everyone else is swimming. So, I decided to come and see you, and bring you you're favorite snack, even though I ate a bit. I thought I could cheer you up, and I really wanted to make you happy!" Numbah 4 raised his eyebrows.

"What made you think I wasn't happy?" he asked. Numbah 3 giggled.

"I don't know. You just seemed depressed ever since Numbah 1 mentioned we'd be doing a mission at the pool. It was just a feeling, I guess." She smiled as nonchalantly as had before, then made herself comfy on the lawn chair and started nibbling on the nachos. Numbah 4 just stared, not even attempting to take a nacho. It wasn't long before he noticed his face was getting warm, and he felt a blush creeping over hi face and the back of his neck. He shook his head, then stood up quickly—so quickly he nearly fell in, and would have, had Numbah 3 not grabbed him before hand—and walked as fast as he could towards the snack bar. He muttered something about the nachos being hers, now that she had eaten half of them, and he was going to get his own.

He didn't go to the snack bar—instead he went to the shallowest of the pools, also known as the "kiddy pool," and stuck his feet in the water. He had been staring at the water in silence for most of the time, but when he saw his face was still slightly red in his reflection, the started kicking rapidly to get rid of the clear surface. There weren't many kids in this pool—he seemed to be one of the only kids his age who couldn't swim yet. He knew it was embarrassing and humiliating, but he didn't care. He couldn't swim yet—he had almost drowned as a kid, so he didn't want to learn, now that he had established a new phobia of the water. He didn't want to be seen getting lessons from a _girl _either, let alone Numbah 3. He was still thinking about this when he heard a whistle—not just any whistle, but the whistle of a lifeguard.

_That's the signal_, he though, _Time to put this plan in action. _And with that he ran as fast as he could back to the deep pool.

Chapter 1: End 

Woah, that was interesting! XD Be sure to read the next chapter!


	2. Chapter 2

Hey, hey, yo! What's up, everyone? I hope you've been waiting for the next chapter of The Words Inside My Head, 'cause it's comin' at ya! What's with my speech today? Just read Azumanga Daioh…And it's Summer Break! Yeah! So I'm really into this plot now. Heehee…Enjoy!

Chapter 2: King Sandy's Evil Plot

There wasn't much time for Numbah 4 to react; he only knew that by the time the whistle blew, he had to be in the water. He was afraid of drowning, and he hated the idea of being Numbah 1's bait, but he wanted to see the look on King Sandy's face when his plan was ruined…if Numbah 4 lived to see that…

He shook his head to clear it of such thoughts, then, as the deep pool came in view, he put on a burst of speed. He was determined to stop Sandy, even if it meant drowning—Sandy had tried to marry Kuki before, hadn't he? He shook his head again—he had no time to be thinking about girls, especially _that one._ He jumped over a lawn chair in a single bound, ran across the hot cement, and jumped into the pool, his entire body spread eagle, and landed with a wet _flop _on his stomach.

The breath was knocked out of him instantly, so he couldn't even manage to struggle to the surface for a breath of air. He just slowly floated downward, towards the bottom of the pool. He couldn't think straight—there was too much going on to do so. His thoughts raced as he thought of the possibility of death, how now that it seemed so close he really didn't want to face it, and of how his friends would miss him when he was gone…especially Numbah 3.

_Here I am, _he though, _thinking about that stupid girl till the very end. I wonder if this is my punishment…for being so rude to her…and now God is trying to show me what I've been missing out on…_Those were his last thoughts before he lost consciousness—then everything went black.

Meanwhile, Numbah 1 was watching by the snack bar, licking a cherry shaved ice, and watching as the lifeguards streamed out of the base. If everything went according to plan, every lifeguard would have their hands full in the next few minutes. Then he could sneak in without being seen, and find Sandy. He waited a few more minutes, licking his shaved ice thoughtfully, until he thought the cost was clear, then tossed the shaved ice into a nearby trash bin, and walked inside the lifeguard base.

Surprisingly, there wasn't much in the "base"—just an overflowing trashcan, a desk, some cupboards, and numerous first aid kits and other…lifeguard stuff. Numbah 1 raised an eyebrow. This couldn't be the real base, could it? Everything seemed orderly.

"Maybe this is all just a false alarm," he said, scratching his bald head, and walking further into the room. He looked suspiciously at the boxes that claimed they were first aid kits, wondering if they really held everyday items for medical help. Just as he was about to open one and discover for himself, he heard a small, almost maniacal laugh coming from down the hall—a hall he hadn't noticed until he had stepped further in. He cautiously moved forward, wondering if it was King Sandy who was laughing, following the sound of the laughter. But as suddenly as it had started, the laughter stopped, making Numbah 1 pause and look around. There were doors on either side of him, and he had no idea where exactly the laugh had come from—there were also no lights, so he couldn't make out his surroundings, and the sunlight from the door didn't reach the hall.

He turned on his heel, quickly drawing his wooden dart gun—but there was no one behind him. He looked around the hall, and turned around in a small semi-circle, before sighing, and lowering his weapon. He was just being paranoid—there was no one here, and certainly not a King. He scratched the back of his head, then turned around and started to walk out of the hall. But before he could walk any further, a large, armored man jumped on him from above, sending him falling to the floor, and instantly knocking him out cold.

Numbah 4 was dreaming—he was in an odd place, where the only thing you could see for miles was white. He blinked—for being so empty it was extremely loud. He tried to cover his ears, but he couldn't move, and when he tried to move his head erupted in pain. He tried sitting up, but that only made things worse. There voices all around, making his head pain ever worse, and someone kept shouting his name over and over. He sqeezed his eyes shut, trying to drive out the noises, then blinked again as the voices continued. The white light started to fade, leaving a slightly blue one in its place. He blinked harder as light still flooded all around him, then closed his eyes once more. The pain was so great. He could hardly move, and the light was so scalding…and now suddenly its burn was less. He opened his eyes a crack to see a shadow hanging over him. He blinked some more until the vision became clearer, and say to his amazement that it was Numbah 3. There tears in her eyes, and she was squeezing his hand tightly. He opened his eyes a little wider, and sat up slowly, finding the pain in his head had lessoned. When he did so, he saw that was at the pool, and there were people in red all around him. There was also a group of noisy kids, his friends among them, and they were all talking loudly as he looked at his surroundings. He was about to ask what had happened, when the girl who had been holding his hand, Numbah 3, hugged him tightly, tears flowing from her eyes.

"Numbah 4, don't you ever do that again!" she said, hugging him so tight the air was almost extinguished from his lungs once more. He didn't care about air right now, though—he was more worried about the girl hugging him, and his face that had started to turn beet red.

"G-get off me, you crazy girl!" he said, prying Numbah 3's arms off of him. "I'm fine! There's no reason to embarrass yourself, not to mention me!" Numbah 3 still cried, and would have hugged Numbah 4 again if he hadn't pushed her away before she got the chance.

"But…But…I thought you were dead! You know you don't know how to swim, and I was worried…Numbah 1 said you'd be perfect bait for this mission, and at first I didn't know what he meant, but…but…Oh, I was just so worried!" Before Numbah 4 could stop her, she had pulled him into another hug, and was crying all over his shoulder. Numbah 4 turned bright red, and stood up the best he could, pulling the sobbing girl off him, more gently this time.

"Come on," he said, "we'll go find Numbah 1, and you can tell him off all you like. Just stop bawling like a big baby, all right?" Numbah 3 still looked teary-eyed, but she wiped her face, and walked in the direction of the rest of the team.

"All right," she said, "Let's go find Numbah 1 and see what's up with all this! And he better have found King Sandy by now!"


	3. Chapter 3

Wow, it seems like I only started this fanfic a few days ago…and it's almost been two weeks (I think…Have you been keeping count?). It's already down to the big showdown. Yes, I'm sorry to say that this will be the final chapter. I kind of think I should have made it longer, but hey, when it's done it's done. I like it this way anyway, short and simple. Ok, well enjoy the last chapter of The Words Inside My Head, min'na, and arigatou for reading this far!

Oh, and about Numbah 1's sunglasses: he doesn't look natural without them, and he almost never takes them off, so I like to think he needs them to see. I hope you don't mind. Ah! Blood! Call the censors! OoO Have you ever noticed that no matter how hard you hit a Kid Next Door operative, they never bleed? Well, even the KND have blood, so they can spill it like we do. It's nothing too extreme, but if you don't like even reading about blood I suggest you find a better, less suggestive theme-ish story to read. And yes, I know they don't use rocks in their slingshots…They use gumballs or something…but if I were to hit you with a gumball or two, would you instantly be knocked out? I didn't think so.

Chapter 3: Showdown 

Numbah 1 awoke with a massive headache and chained to a wall. When he had blinked all the sleep from his eyes, he looked around at his surroundings—he seemed to be in a large room, probably underneath the hallway he had been in, considering the lighting was so bad. His prescription sunglasses where missing, so he had to squint to see the other rather shorter person standing off to the side of him. The person cackled, then stepped closer, waving a black object in front of his nose that Numbah 1 was sure were his sunglasses. He tried to grab them, but, because of the chains, his arm fell back at the futile attempt. The mystery midget continued to laugh.

"What's this?" he said in a nasally voice, "is Numbah 1 all tied up? I thought you were the leader of the Kids Next Door; aren't you supposed to be a least a little bit more experienced?" Numbah 1 recognized the voice as that of King Sandy immediately, and struggled against his chains, only to fall back again like he had before. Sandy laughed at his pathetic effort, and advanced closer. Numbah 1 sat on the floor, squinting up at Sandy until he was close enough to see without doing so, and tried again to move his arms so he could at least grab his glasses. The chains held fast, though, so he couldn't move them even an inch or more forward to reclaim his lost spectacles. Sandy waved the glasses just out of reach, making Numbah 1 clench his teeth. Before he could say anything, though, Sandy walked back to a machine that Numbah 1 couldn't see. He heard a few beeping noises as Sandy pressed a few buttons, but that was all—and he couldn't even see what Sandy was doing. He hung his head in fatigue. What had happened in the last few hours to make his head hurt so bad? He vaguely remembered being attacked from above, but after that everything went black. He also knew he was underground, beneath the pool, because every now and then a drop of chlorinated water fell on his head from above. He sighed as the drops fell on his head and on the ground, as Sandy pushed buttons, until slowly he started to fall asleep again. His last thoughts before he fell asleep were of his team, and how more now than ever he needed their help.

"Achoo!" Numbah 5's loud sneeze made her entire team turn around to face her. She shrugged her shoulders.

"Guess I caught a cold or something," she said, and they continued to walk to the lifeguard base. Once there, they looked carefully for any lifeguards who might be lurking inside or any that might have been approaching. Once sure the coast was clear, they walked inside the small room, and looked around.

"Well, this is worth risking my life for," Numbah 4 said sarcastically. "This place is a dump! What was Numbah 1 planning to find in here?" Numbah 2 shrugged his shoulders.

"Beats the tar out of me," he said. "But maybe he wasn't looking around in this room." Numbah 4 rolled his eyes.

"And just where else is he supposed to go in here?" he asked. "Maybe in that giant first aid kit on the wall." Numbah 5 tapped Numbah 4 on the shoulder irritably.

"No, down there," she said, pointing to the hall. Numbah 4 was baffled—why hadn't he seen that hall before? Numbah 5 walked down the hall, motioning for the others to follow her. "Come on!" They followed hesitantly, looking around the hall like it would swallow them alive if they ventured too far. Numbah 3 clung to Numbah 4, but he didn't shake her off—he was a little scared, too, though he didn't want to admit it. They had walked halfway down the hall when there came a chuckle from above them. Numbah 5 looked up and the ceiling suspiciously, while her other comrades looked around elsewhere for the source, shivering at the phantom laughter. Numbah 5 looked at a certain nook in the ceiling that looked slightly off-color—and her eyes widened.

"Everybody, get out of the hall!" she shouted, but it was too late. Before anyone could move, a giant, armor-covered teenager jumped down from the rafters to land in front of the shocked children. Numbah 5 cursed, and tied to run out the other side, but another teenager jumped down in front of her, blocking the other way out. She cursed again, and backed up against her fellow comrades, thinking rapidly about how to get out of this mess. Her mind came up blank when it came to strategies—so that meant using brute force. She tightened her grip on her makeshift slingshot, then carefully passed it on the Numbah 4, who was right behind her. She felt him take it, then looked at Numbah 2 and Numbah 3 to see if the had gotten the message. They both nodded, so she turned back to face the over-sized teenager in front of him. The large young man smiled and grunted, and, as if this were a signal, him and his partner moved in closer to the four kids. They were just about close enough to grab the "unsuspecting children," when Numbah 4 cried out.

"Oh my god! What the heck it _that_?" Just as he has planned, the big, and unmistakeingly stupid, teenager turned around and looked over his shoulder—and turned back around to meet a roundhouse kick in the face. Numbah 4 landed a little less than gracefully, then punched the air in triumph.

"All right! It feels good to do that! Take that, you big teenage jerk!" He quickly turned around to face the other one—big mistake. The one he had kicked recovered fast, and grabbed Numbah 4 by his ankle, lifting him into the air.

"Think again, Little Dude," the teenager said, "I'm not going down that easily." Numbah 4 dangled in the air from his hands a moment longer before the teenager dropped him onto the hard cement. Numbah 4 cried out and recoiled as he landed on the cement, just barely missing getting his head split open. He sat up slowly, his nose bleeding freely, and lifted up the slingshot Numbah 5 had handed him. He took careful aim, taking care not to get caught by the teenager again, and let go, sending a small but heavy rock sailing towards the teenager. It hit him square in the head, causing him to fall over again, dazed. Numbah 4 ran over before he could get up, took a wild leap, and landed on his stomach, knocking the breath out of him. He jumped on him a few more times until the teenager finally law unconscious.

Numbah 4 got off his stomach, and turned around to help his other friends with the slightly larger of the teenagers, aiming for the teen's head like he had the last one. He waited for Numbah 3 to stop hitting the teen on the head with her paddleball weapon before he let go of the sling, sending the small stone flying. The teen stood still for a moment, dazed, then shook his head and continued to ward off the attacking kids. When the rock didn't work, Numbah 4 ran over and started kicking him the best he could without getting hit back. Numbah 3 continued to bop the stubborn teenager with her paddleball, Numbah 2 snuck around the back to prepare his aerial weapon without the risk of being hit, and Numbah 5 was using the same tactics as Numbah 4. With her slingshot in his possession, she was left no other choice but to attack using nothing but her hands. Numbah 4 kept shooting rocks until he ran out, almost none of them having met their mark, then joined Numbah 5 in her mortal combat technique. He tried to land a kick on the teen's right side, but when he tried to get in close the teen kicked him hard in the gut, and he fell on the floor sprawled out and coughing. Numbah 5 was thrown back a second later, and skidded across the floor until she rammed into the wall—the impact left her lying there limp. Numah 2, in the meantime, had gotten his flying invention to actually work, but he was grabbed out of the sky by the teenager and thrown just like the others. The only one who seemed to still be attacking the teen was Numbah 3, which didn't last long. The teen picked her up forcefully, but instead of throwing her he held her up to his gaze.

"So you're Sandy's little girlfriend?" he asked, grinning evilly, "I guess I won't be hurting _you _then. You're a little young for my taste but…my brother has some pretty good taste in girls, doesn't he? Heheh." He then started walking away with a screaming Numbah 3 under his arm. Numbah 4 took a sharp intake of breath, and tried to get up—his breath hadn't yet caught up with him quite yet. He struggled to stand, then tried to run after them, stumbling as he did so. Numbah 3's screams still permeated the air in the hall, and the teenager kept getting farther away. His breath slowly returning to him, he started to run after the two, not minding to check if his comrades followed. Numbah 3 was still screaming, but now it sounded as if she were cheering him on.

"Help! Help! He won't let go!" She was struggling to get out of his grip on her, but the strength of a ten your old girl left something to be desired against a muscular teenager. She even tried biting his hand, but he only grunted and acted like he didn't feel anything. She was about to scream again in the hopes that a lifeguard would hear, when a figure flew past her, and towards the head of the teenager holding her captive. In the next five seconds, the teenager made a stricken sound, fell to the ground, and Numbah 3 was released. Numbah 4 stood over the unconscious teenager, breathing hard like he'd run a marathon, and holding the fist he had used to knock the brute senseless. When he seemed to catch his breath, he turned around to face Numbah 3, who was even more shocked then their comrades who had come running over.

"I couldn't let him just take you like that," Numbah 4 said breathlessly, trying not to meet Numbah 3's eyes, "and he was going to take you to Sandy. You look like you didn't want me to knock 'em out for you. And it's not like he's _dead_, so stop looking at me like that." He turned away and started to walk in the direction that the teenager had been heading. After a moment of silence, his team followed after him, and they all walked in stillness for a few minutes. When the silence got to be too much, Numbah 3 ran to catch up with Numbah 4—and hugged him from behind. Numbah 4 froze mid-step, and turned around to look at the girl squeezing him so tight, his face turning a deep scarlet as he saw who it was.

"Wha…what are you…?" he started to ask, but Numbah 3 interrupted him.

"Thank-you," she said, hugging him a little closer, "for saving me. I really mean it. You're always saving me, and I truly am happy. Thank-you, Numbah 4, for everything." Numbah 3's apology only made Numbah 4 blush harder, but he didn't push her away. His team passed them giving them odd looks, and Numbah 4's face turned an even darker shade of crimson, but he didn't push her off, and waited for his team to walk further ahead before he turned around to speak to her again.

"You dumb girl," he mumbled, tapping her head with his fist lightly, "I know you're happy, and I know you're thankful—we're friends, aren't we?" Numbah 3 still had her face buried in Numbah 4's back, but she nodded slowly. Numbah 4 tapped her head again, making her look up at his blushing face and serious eyes, and she cocked her head slightly—he looked like he had something to tell her.

"Kuki," he said, addressing his friend by her real name, "I…I've never thought of you as just a 'friend.' I think…there's something more there, but I can't really express it in just words. Do you understand what I mean?" Numbah 3 shook her head, but she knew what he was saying—they were the words she had been dreaming about recently, the words she had always kind of hoped to here from someone, in her heart. Numbah 4 looked away, blushing harder, and started walking away. Numbah 3 hesitantly let go of his waist, and followed after him.

"The team is waiting for us," he said quietly, walking faster as Numbah 3 got closer to him. Numbah 5 arched her eyebrows when she saw Numbah 4's flushed face and Numbah 3's curious expression, as did Numbah 2.

"What's up?" he asked. "You look like you got in a fight with that pink crap women sometimes put on their faces…and lost." Numbah 4 shook his head vigorously, and Numbah 3 giggled cheerfully, seeming to forget for the moment what Numbah 4 had been saying. Numbah 4, seeing the door that they had stopped at, charged through to see a flight of stairs leading underground. Be motioned for his partners to follow him, then started the long walk down.

Numbah 1 was shaken awake by a large teenager in green armor, and was surprised to see that his spectacles had been returned to him sometime during his slumber. His head also had bandages around it, and hurt at least a little less. He could see clearly where he was, and saw King Sandy hovering over next the behemoth teenager.

"So," he said with a sneer, "the fearless leader awakes. How was your nap, Numbah 1?" Numbah 1 clenched hi teeth.

"What's your plan, Sandy?" he snapped. "I know you're plotting something! What is it this time?" Sandy snickered and walked back to a giant computer in the middle of the room. Numbah 1 saw numerous cables attached to a giant machine in the middle of the floor, a machine that pulsed with a bluish light and buzzed very softly. It almost looked like a water filter. Sandy seemed to notice that Numbah 1 was staring at his machine, and sneered.

"You like it? It's my latest invention," he said, looking fondly at hi creation as he did so. "Would you like to know what it does?" Numbah 1 looked at the "king" suspiciously.

"Why tell me?" he asked slowly, "I'm your enemy—don't you think I'd try and foil your plan if you told me your objective?" King Sandy cackled at the very idea.

"Even if you could get out of those chains, and even if I let you go alive, who says anyone would believe you? And there's no way you can ruin my plans now—its far too late for that. But anyway, listen to me carrying on—I was going to tell you about my dear invention." He stroked the keyboard of his super computer, gazing at it with a mixture of adoration and greed. "You see, this machine is actually a lot worse than it seems—it can send shock waves all over to world, even to the center of the earth. When it sends out a large enough wave, a giant tidal wave will hit this city, causing it to form the biggest beach in the world. I'll rain over the entire city, in a newly manufactured castle, with my beautiful queen by my side, and not even the Kids Next Door will be able to stop me!" He cackled maniacally for a moment more, then turned to face the Kids Next Door leader. "So what are you going to do, Nigel Uno? Are you going to magically break free of those chains and just save the day like always? I don't think so! No one's here to save you—your comrades have abandoned you. You can't get out and you can't stop me!"

"Maybe he can't," said a voice from the bottom of the stairs, "but we can!" Sandy spun around, and Numbah one grinned broadly as he saw who was standing there—his team, led by his co-captain, Numbah 5.

"Hey, Numbah 1," she said, "we came to get you. And believe me, this is the _last _time you're going out on your own!" Numbah 2 gave him a thumbs up, and Numbah 4 waved at him, giggling. Numbah 4 was scowling at Sandy, and not paying attention to his leader.

"We head the whole thing from the stairs, Sandy," he said, taking a step closer to the smaller kid, "and you're about to get the beating of your lifetime." He walked steadily slower, Sandy baking up against a wall, looking frightened. While he was being taken care of, Numbah 5 ran over to Numbah one and unlocked his chains with a key she had found hanging by the door. Numbah 1 rubbed his wrists, which felt numb, and smiled at Numbah 5, who patted him on the back.

"Welcome back, boss," she said.

"Good to be back, Numbah 5," he replied. Suddenly, there was a loud beeping sound, like that of a sirens—they all looked up to see the machine was glowing red, and its hum had become deeper and louder. Sandy laughed in triumph, and pushed away from the stunned Numbah 4, watching as his invention came to life.

"This is it!" he said. "Soon the world's largest beach will be mine! Mine, all mine!" he cackled to himself as the Kids Next Door watched in horror, realization that they had failed their first mission hitting them harder than any wave from the machine. The machine continued the blare—and then, as soon as it had started, the beeping subsided. Sandy growled, and kicked the machine—it reared up again more than he had wanted it to. The machine shook and beeped and hummed, making all sorts of noises, and then started to vibrate. Soon the ground was shaking as though waves were shaking them roughly, and they fell to their knees.

"Wh-what's going on here?" shouted Numbah 3 over the noise. "Why is it doing this?"

"Because that nimrod _Sandy _messed it up!" shouted Numbah 4. The ground shook more, and it seemed like the ground below them was shattering, Numbah 1 struggle to get up, but it was futile—he only fell to the ground once more.

"Is there any way to turn this thing off?" he shouted. Sandy nodded.

"Yes, by a password!" he shouted back. "But if I say it my dream will be—"

"Forget about your stupid dream!" shouted Numbah 2. "Even if your dream comes true, you won't be alive to see it unless it shuts down!"

"I-I…No! Never!" King Sandy stood up the best he could and walked over to the circuit board, trying desperately to lessen the tremors. There was another wave, the sound of tripping, a scream, and then King Sandy remained silent—he had been shocked, and lay unconscious by his monster computer.

"Now what do we do?" Numbah 4 shouted, his voice shaking with fear and from the force of the tremors. "Sandy is out cold and we don't know the ruddy password! What are we going to do, huh?" Numbah 1 clenched his teeth, trying hard not to bite hi tongue.

"We'll just have to guess it!" he shouted. "King! Sandy! Ruler!" None of the words worked, and the machine seemed to be acting up more than it had before. They were all shouting words now, trying desperately to shut it down.

"Beach!"

"Volleyball!"

"Castle!"

"Tofu!"

"Rainbow Monkey!"

The machine continued to buzz still—they couldn't guess the password, and each time they made a mistake the machine seemed to get wilder. Numbah 1 hung his head, ashamed, as did the other operatives. Numbah 3 clenched her teeth—she didn't want this to happen, no before Numbah 4 told her how he felt! She got up, and walked slowly over to the machine. She was going to shut it down, even if she got shocked like Sandy. Her comrades realized her intentions and called her name over and over, trying to convince her not to go.

"Numbah 3! Numbah 3! Don't do it!" Numbah 4's cries rang above the rest. When he saw that she wasn't stopping, he tried to run after her but couldn't for the tremors kept knocking him down. He tried to get up again, but it was no use—and Numbah 3 was getting close to the computer. His eyes blurred—he didn't want to cry like some little kid, but he didn't want to lose her. He hadn't even told her how he felt. He wanted her to know, he wanted her to be alive—he wanted to say her real name for once, in front of his other comrades.

"Kuki! I love you!"

It was as if the world stood still—there suddenly wasn't any noise, no tremors, no anything. Just silence. Numbah 4 opened his eyes, blinked, and saw to his amazement that the machine had stopped, and so had Numbah 3. He had said the password, and it had ceased.

"'Kuki,'" said Numbah 1 quietly, "of course. He loved Numbah 3 of course. Why didn't we think of that?"

"Speaking of love…" said Numbah 2, trailing off. Numbah 4 realized that everyone's eyes were on him, but he didn't even blush—he ran over to Numbah 3, and, for the first time, hugged her.

"I love you, Kuki," he whispered, "and I could never bear to lose you. I know I'm always kind of rude and annoying, and I've been really hard on you on a lot of occasions…but it's the truth. I love you." It was Numbah 3's face that was red now. She hugged Numbah 4 tightly, and buried her head in his chest.

"I love you too, Wally," she whispered, "and I'm glad." They stood there for a moment more, until Numbah 1 coughed politely, making them both spin around, equally flushed.

"We should be getting out of here now," he said. "The lifeguards will kick us out of the pool for an eternity if we get caught."

"Yeah, and then we'll have to use one of those blow-up pools that only fit three little kids at a time," said Numbah 2, "or run through sprinklers. Bo-ring!" They turned around and headed up the stairs. As they walked out of the dreaded room, Numbah 3 held Numbah 4's hand, and squeezed it tight. Numbah 4 smiled at her, and she smiled back—he was so glad he had been able to express the feeling he had been holding so dear for such a long time, and he was even happier to know she felt the same.

FIN 


End file.
